Wad for multimissile charges.



PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904.

6. LA DOW, WAD FOR. MULTIMISSILE CHARGES.

APPLIUATIUN FILED AUG. 3, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Inventor;

U n t m w attorney; 4

lUNTTEn STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT ()EETCE.

CHARLES LA DOW, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

WAD FOR MULTIIVHSSILE CHARGES.

To All whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LA Dow, a citizen of the United States,residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVads or Separatorsfor Multimissile Charges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in a wad or separator to be used between thepowder or propelling charge and the shot or other multimissileprojectile charge of a gun of any character or size to control anddetermine the concentration or the spreading of the projectile charge.The wad is reversible and will cause concentration or spreadingaccording to the way it is placed between the propelling and projectilecharges.

Briefly described, the wad or separator consists of a circular body ofany suitable or usual material having holes or perforations extendingfrom face to face and approaching more nearly to the central axis of thebody on one than on the other face. The holes may be in alinemont withthe axis of the wad or so arranged that their several axes shall focusat a common point in the projected axis of the wad, or they may beoblique to such projected axis, but fall within a smaller circle on oneface of the wad than on the other.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved wad or separator with lines indicating the axes of theperforations and showing their common focal point; Fig. 2, a sectionalview of the same; Fig. 3, a face view thereof with dotted linesindicating the inward inclination of the perforations or passages; Fig.4, a similar face view of a wad or separator, showing the perforationsor passages drawing toward each other from one toward the other face ofthe wad, but not moetingin the extended or projected axis of the wad,or, in other words, touching a circle smaller than that in which theircen ters lie in the wad itself; Fig. 5, a section on the line a: w ofFig. 4, and Fig. 6 a diagrammatic perspective view of the same wad.

The present invention is one of many specific embodiments of aninvention or discovery made by me, the basic principle of which is thatif a portion of the gases incident to combustion or explosion of thepowder or propelling charge bedirected and delivered to the central oraxial portion of a multimissile charge said charge will on emerging fromthe gun tend to spread or scatter, whereas if a portion of such gases bedirected and deliw ered to the circumference or circumferential portionof the projectile charge there will be a concentration or holdingtogether of the missiles. In this way I am enabled to effect at willeither wide or close shooting-that is to say, I can cause the shot ormissiles to distribute over a larger or asmaller circle or area at givendistance.

The purpose of the present invention is to produce a wad or separator bywhich either result may be produced at will, and this is attained byproviding the wad or separator with holes, openings, or passages, whichwith one face turned toward the shot or projectile charge convergetoward the axis thereof in a forward direction, but which placed withthe other face foremost diverge toward the periphery or circumference ofthe projectile charge. This will be readily understood upon referring tothe drawings, wherein- A indicates a wad or separator having a series ofsymmetrically-spaced holes, perforations, or passages a extending fromface to face. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 these holes or passages arerepresented as tending toward a common center or focal point, or, inother words, as each in a common plane with the axis of the wad, andthis is the preferred arrangement. In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 the wad A isshown with like holes, perforations, or passages a, which thoughconverging do not have their axes tending to a common focal point; Theresult of this arrangement is to produce asubstantially spiralarrangement, and as aconsequence there will be a tendency more or lessappreciable or pronounced to set up a turning or twisting motion of thecharge, which, generally speaking, is believed to be helpful moreparticularly to the spreading action. The essential or important point,however, is that the gases of the propelling chare are by the obliquepassages directed and delivered either to the axial or to thecircumferential portion of the projcctilc charge. according to theplacing of one or the other face of the wad forward. This wad may heused alone or in combination with others, and a thin covering B may beapplied to either or to both faces of the wad to retain the powder andshot in their proper places preparatory to fixing the charge, thoughthis is optional.

The wad is preferably made of consider able thickness and of thewell-known paperl'aced felt. such as now commonly employed for ordinarywads. It may be used in fixed ammunition or in loose loading and withany class of multimissile charge, whether shot, grape-shot, canister, orother.

Being reversible, the wad may be used to cause either close or wideshooting at will and dispenses with the necessity of keeping two classesor styles and avoids the undue accumulation of one and depletion ofanother class incident to the use of two.

Having thus described my invention. 1 claim 1. A wad or separator foruse in connection with multimissile projectiles, having convcrp ingopenings or passages extendingfrom iac to face.

2. As new article of manufacture, a H versible wad consisting of a bodyof snitahl material adapted to fit the horn of a gun, an provided with aseries of holes, pcrl'oratior or passages extending; from face to face.an more nearly approaching each other at on than at the other face.

3. A wad, consisting of a body of suitahl material, having a series ofholes, DCl'fOlt tions or passages extending through it l'roi face toface, and approaching more nearly 1 each other at one than at the otherface, in having their axes arranged eccentric to one other or withoutcommon focal point.

in testimony whereof I have signed my nan to this specification in thepresence of two sul scribing witnesses.

CHARLES LA DOlV.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. Donen. FANNIE WISE.

